Alk + Calcium Issue

[parkavenuereef]

Update from 2/12

Still having issues with coloration and even some stn. polyp extension is minimal. Nitrates have gone down to between 20-40ppm. Here is what I am completely puzzled about. My alk and calcium is steady and no dropping from 11dkh and 600ppm. My reactor has been shut down for over a month now. I have been watching parameters and dosing with 2 part as needed. I havent dosed in almost two weeks and levels have not dropped at all. I ran test with my test kits on both calibration solutions and other tank waters and the correct levels came out so I know my kits are working right. Mag is at 1400..


Totally stumped!!!! Any idea's?

 

[kawicivic]

I did not see your other thread but based on this post these are my thoughts:

I would say your nitrates and possibly phosphates (just assuming that if you are battling trates, that you are battling phosphates as well) are hindering the growth. These are not ideal conditions for SPS and therefore you are not getting the polyp extension and growth you are looking for. What kind of flow do you have?

The lack of growth is causing you to not need to dose. You only must dose what is used by the SPS. In my opinion it sounds like your SPS is in survival mode and just trying to stay alive. I had a tank in this mode for a long time and couldn't figure out what was going on. Proper light, flow, and nutrient levels are the keys. Focus on the basics and continue to make small incremental changes and observations. Keep going and don't get discouraged.

I would start with the nitrates and figure out why they are so high. You need to figure out a way to lower them. Are you overstocked or overfeeding? Is your skimmer undersized?

Just some questions to get your thread going.

 

[parkavenuereef]

The tank is four years old practically and was thriving! I had a power loss and the tank crashed in november. Since then I have been in a constant battle to keep it alive.

Skimmer is doing it's job. ASM 2. The nitrates Have gone down conciderably from almost 100ppm.

I did alot of water changes and seems as though the tank got worse.

I have been dosing microbacter7 with the skimmer off and biofuel..

I don't want to keep doing excessive water changes and go sterile.

plenty of flow, and 2 x 400W halides new bulbs with actinics.


I am afraid that something is wrong with my live rock since the power loss.

 

[Steve175]

10% weekly water change is never the wrong answer.

Nitrates need to be dropped by a factor of 10 more.

 

[parkavenuereef]

What phosphate removal media does everyone use?

I have phosban currently.

 

[CeeGee]

Do you use filter socks? Do you vacuum detritus regularly (every day or two)?

I have been slowly but surely turning my tank around. Too many people focus on all this equipment and the real problem is their husbandry. I change filter socks every 3 days and vacuum that junk out of the tank and sump regularly and keep it clean and I mean clean. The tank is really starting to respond using this simple approach.

Detritus is more than likely the cause of the high nitrates.

 

[drw94]

I had a crash when I went off zeovit. It killed a lot of corals. So basically I had a tank with jacked up rock and dying corals. I tried everything to turn the tank around. Super meticulous on everything. My conclusion was the live rock was no longer biologically effective and dying corals release toxins of some sort that effect some of the healthy corals. Not many people are with me on the toxin theory, but anything that dies will harbor infectious stuff, just look at any type of animal creature. So in my situation i had to remove all live rock and replace with new. Since I have done this the tank has turned around. All corals that survived are looking and growing great.
The reason I went into detail was to show you to look into the not so obvious areas. Do you have any corals that are dying? Just trying to think outside the box. For what it is worth I noticed my issues when I had alk problems. I went from using 88ml of 2 part daily to using 2 ml. My 2 cents

 

[MammothReefer]

Update from 2/12

Still having issues with coloration and even some stn. polyp extension is minimal. Nitrates have gone down to between 20-40ppm. Here is what I am completely puzzled about. My alk and calcium is steady and no dropping from 11dkh and 600ppm. My reactor has been shut down for over a month now. I have been watching parameters and dosing with 2 part as needed. I havent dosed in almost two weeks and levels have not dropped at all. I ran test with my test kits on both calibration solutions and other tank waters and the correct levels came out so I know my kits are working right. Mag is at 1400..


Totally stumped!!!! Any idea's?

You got to get down your nitrates. 20-40ppm for an sps tank is a lot in my opinion i'm sure some people will tell you otherwise but it's never worked for me. Shoot for sub 5ppm if possible. It's the food that's feeding your corals not the by product (nitrates) being able to feed and keep nitrates down is the goal. Secondly your calcium is to high not need to go out of the 400's. Also as others said what are you phosphates, and how long since you changed your GFO. I used BRS High Capacity I change it whenever I see phosphates starting to climb (about every 2 months). As CeeGee said filters socks work great just have to change them often so the waste doesn't break down in them. Also blast/baste your rocks to kick up detrius that settled in them get everything flowing into your socks. If you are having issues from water changes I would address what salt you are using or more importantly are you using RO/DI? I also wouldn't be dosing bac if you aren't dosing a carbon source. I had an old tank that ended up with nitrates 200+ it took a lot of water changes and Vodka dosing to get things back on track.

As others have said I do a few water changes get things to "level out" keeping testing and see if that doesn't kick start things.

 

[parkavenuereef]

You got to get down your nitrates. 20-40ppm for an sps tank is a lot in my opinion i'm sure some people will tell you otherwise but it's never worked for me. Shoot for sub 5ppm if possible. It's the food that's feeding your corals not the by product (nitrates) being able to feed and keep nitrates down is the goal. Secondly your calcium is to high not need to go out of the 400's. Also as others said what are you phosphates, and how long since you changed your GFO. I used BRS High Capacity I change it whenever I see phosphates starting to climb (about every 2 months). As CeeGee said filters socks work great just have to change them often so the waste doesn't break down in them. Also blast/baste your rocks to kick up detrius that settled in them get everything flowing into your socks. If you are having issues from water changes I would address what salt you are using or more importantly are you using RO/DI? I also wouldn't be dosing bac if you aren't dosing a carbon source. I had an old tank that ended up with nitrates 200+ it took a lot of water changes and Vodka dosing to get things back on track.

As others have said I do a few water changes get things to "level out" keeping testing and see if that doesn't kick start things.

I agree my calcium is high.. Even with the water changes the calcium won't go down and alk wont go down due to no growth. I use reef carbon by kent and phosban and replace every two to three weeks. I use biofuel as alt. to vodka.

when I had the crash I tore up my sump and cleaned it out completely, I replace my filter socks every week so and I wash mine out in the washing machine ( wife wants to kill me ) hehe... I havent disturbed my sand bed since the rescape.. I think I am going to remove alot of my sand bed if not all of it.

I am afraid of the rock dying theory. I got some microbacter 7 to re seed the tank.

 

[E.intheC]

I'm not saying this is your problem but you might want to change the kent carbon out. Recently there was a recall of sorts by kent because a few batches had excess levels of copper. One of the LFS around me had it wipe out a bunch of corals

 

[CeeGee]

Changing filter socks out every week is not enough. 2-3 times a week is more like it. Also washing them in the washing machine is not a good idea. Soap remnants = Phosphate. Even if I ran a couple of rinses before hand I would not put my filter socks in the washer unless it was a brand new washer dedicated to washing filter socks.

 

[sneaton]

just change the socks when they clog....there are many people who wash in the washer with no problems including me...i just use the hot cycle and extra rinse

 

[mc-cro]

Do you use filter socks? Do you vacuum detritus regularly (every day or two)?

I have been slowly but surely turning my tank around. Too many people focus on all this equipment and the real problem is their husbandry. I change filter socks every 3 days and vacuum that junk out of the tank and sump regularly and keep it clean and I mean clean. The tank is really starting to respond using this simple approach.

Detritus is more than likely the cause of the high nitrates.

This^

I really think people need to start taking a serious look at the basics before going into carbon dosing, bio-pellets, and other fancy stuff to fix problems. Granted, there are times that these things are needed, but most of the time they are not.

most people have nitrate problems because their tank is dirty, although they may not realize it. You simply have more detritus than your system can handle. Its often piled up in sandbeds, refugiums, rubble, rocks, and such.

 

[parkavenuereef]

Update: 3/27

48 since I have removed at least a five gallon pal of sand from the system which it actually looks better. Since I have removed the kents carbon, and added a healthy amount of phosban to my reactor.

Within that time period I suddenly noticed polyp extension during the day and in immediate increase in coloration..

So I am guessing that my phosphates even though " undetectable " they were high or silicates?

I guess the more I think of it, maybe my tank husbandty has suffored since our baby was born.